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Federal project transforms strategic stretch of the Pantanal into a reference for road safety and wildlife protection, with fences, animal crossings, radars, and environmental monitoring on one of the highways most associated with wildlife collisions in the country.
BR-262 in Mato Grosso do Sul, known for the high number of wildlife collisions in the Pantanal, is undergoing a federal wildlife mitigation project with an investment exceeding R$ 30 million.
The intervention includes 170 kilometers of guiding fences, 17 animal crossings, adaptations on bridges, culverts, radars, signage, and environmental monitoring on the stretch between Aquidauana and Corumbá.
The initiative is led by the National Department of Transport Infrastructure, DNIT, and aims to reduce the risk of collisions between vehicles and native species on one of the country’s most environmentally sensitive roads.
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The highway cuts through areas used by animals for daily movements and at the same time plays a strategic role for residents, tourists, and cargo transport in the southern Mato Grosso do Sul Pantanal.
BR-262 in the Pantanal receives largest investment in wildlife mitigation
The contract in execution since 2025 includes seven wildlife overpasses, ten underpasses, signage, speed reducers, and fences installed to guide animals to planned crossing points.
According to DNIT, this is the largest public investment in the country in wildlife mitigation on federal highways.
The proposal goes beyond installing warning signs, a common measure on roads crossing natural areas, but considered insufficient when there is intense animal traffic.
In the case of BR-262/MS, the plan combines physical barriers, crossing structures, speed control, and technical monitoring to reduce direct contact between vehicles and animals on the asphalt.
The guiding fences are a central part of the strategy because they prevent uncontrolled access to the road and direct wildlife to safer crossings.
Without this type of structure, animals of different sizes may attempt to cross the highway at any point, increasing the risk of collisions and accidents involving drivers.
The set of measures also includes 18 fenced sections, 22 drainage culverts, 44 bridges, 20 radars, eight jump-outs, seven artificial canopy bridges, and 58 metal grid accesses.
These devices have different functions but work in an integrated manner to maintain road circulation and reduce impacts on the Pantanal biodiversity.
Section between Aquidauana and Corumbá concentrates crossing structures
The plan presented by DNIT focuses on the section of BR-262/MS between Aquidauana and Corumbá, a corridor that crosses areas associated with the Pantanal and accommodates road traffic, resident movement, tourism, and cargo circulation.
This combination increases the complexity of the project because the highway cannot be treated solely as transportation infrastructure or merely as a conservation area.
In flood-prone regions, wildlife movement changes according to the flood and drought cycle, requiring solutions adapted to the environment.
Animals seek food, shelter, water, and breeding areas at different times, and the presence of the highway creates an artificial barrier between parts of the habitat.
The underground passages serve species that move better at ground level or through more protected areas, while the overpasses and canopy bridges help animals that move through forested environments.
This design aims to accommodate different behaviors, as reptiles, mammals, and arboreal species do not use the landscape in the same way.
The drainage culverts can also function as crossing points for smaller species, provided they are adapted and connected to the fences.
Bridges over rivers and floodplain areas are included in the plan as they are natural movement locations, especially in a biome marked by water, riparian vegetation, and wildlife corridors.
Radars and jump-outs enhance safety on the highway
Speed reduction is another focus of the intervention on BR-262/MS, as drivers have less reaction time when traveling at high speed through areas with wildlife presence.
Therefore, the plan includes radars, reducers, and vertical signage at points considered sensitive, associating road safety with environmental protection.
Jump-outs, in turn, are ramps or escape routes for animals that may enter the fenced area of the highway.
Without this feature, a fence created to protect could trap animals between the barrier and the road, increasing the risk of accidents instead of reducing it.
The installation of metal railings at access points also aims to prevent gaps in the fences, especially at entrances to rural properties and human crossing points.
On a highway that crosses productive areas and local communities, keeping access organized is necessary so that wildlife protection does not create undue obstacles to the residents’ routine.
Environmental monitoring will assess the impact of the works
DNIT reported that the project will be accompanied by monitoring of the species and the devices implemented, a stage considered essential to assess whether the measures effectively reduce accidents.
This monitoring should also indicate necessary adjustments, as road ecology solutions depend on the behavior of the wildlife and the conditions of each section.
Biologist Fernanda Abra, cited by DNIT as a national reference in road ecology, participated in the public discussion about the plan and advocated that the experience of BR-262/MS serve as a model for other highways.
The evaluation presented at the meeting is that the knowledge generated in the Pantanal can guide new interventions in Brazilian regions facing similar problems.
The highway receives attention because it crosses an area of significant biodiversity and has a history of conflicts between traffic and wildlife.
Surveys cited in local reports pointed to high accident rates on BR-262, impacting species such as alligators, anteaters, armadillos, capybaras, and other common animals in the Pantanal.
The logistical function of the road, however, remains relevant for Mato Grosso do Sul.
BR-262 connects municipalities, supports regional travel, facilitates access to tourist areas, and integrates goods transportation routes, making the coexistence between human circulation and environmental preservation the main challenge of the project.
Highway could become a reference for other Brazilian biomes
The scale of the package explains the idea of transforming the BR-262/MS into a “showcase” road for the country.
Instead of a one-off intervention at a critical location, the plan includes continuous fencing, wildlife crossings, adapted structures, speed control, signage, and monitoring over an extensive stretch of federal highway.
Other Brazilian roads cross areas of the Cerrado, Amazon, Atlantic Forest, Caatinga, Pampas, and Pantanal, many of them with records of animal collisions and difficulty in reconciling mobility, safety, and conservation.
The experience in Mato Grosso do Sul can help test solutions applicable to road corridors in sensitive biomes.
For drivers, the most visible change should appear in signs, speed cameras, and speed reduction points, while part of the protection will function less perceptibly to the road user.
Fences, adapted culverts, underpasses, and canopy bridges will operate behind the scenes of the highway, guiding animals to planned paths.
For wildlife, the goal is to maintain connectivity between natural areas divided by the road, reducing direct crossings on the pavement and preserving movements necessary for feeding, reproduction, and territory occupation.
In a region like the Pantanal, this connectivity is crucial because the landscape changes throughout the year and influences species movement.
The project places the BR-262/MS at the center of an agenda that brings together road engineering, traffic safety, and biodiversity conservation.
The outcome will depend on the complete implementation of the planned structures, maintenance of fences and crossings, speed control, and continuous reading of data collected in the field.
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